10 Steps To Create A Diversity Training Plan

Having a non-existent DE&I program hurts your brand's value. But do you know how to lay the groundwork for a successful diversity training plan?

Well, it’s achieved through intensive diversity training.

A diversity training plan is an essential step towards creating a great company culture.

Curious about how to craft an effective diversity training plan for your workplace? You're in the right place.

What is Diversity Training?

Diversity training is a program that teaches employees how to interact and work with people from underrepresented groups respectfully. This kind of training educates people to embrace everyone's uniqueness.

Many managers face issues while managing their workers who come from varied backgrounds. But with the help of these training programs, one can know their employees on a personal level.

Diversity makes us stronger. It is about our experiences, our strengths, our weaknesses, and the way we think.
~Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America

Diversity and inclusion cannot change a person’s mindset completely. But, they will be able to gain adequate knowledge and will refrain from discriminating against their peers. Thus, increased awareness helps in breaking existing barriers.

Many companies and leaders like to believe that such training programs help in:

• Developing a sense of understanding amongst coworkers
• Emphasizes and celebrates the cultural, and ethnic differences
• Celebrates gender diversity in the workplace
• Reduces workplace harassment
• Eradicate about unconscious bias
• Encourage timely complaints against discriminatory behaviors

How to Create a Successful Diversity Training Plan

Merely building bias training or compliance training is not enough to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. To witness increased employee engagement, companies must focus on diversity training.

Here are 11 practical steps to create an effective program that encourages diversity in the workplace.

1. Showcase Impact

Companies in the top quartile for board-gender diversity are 27 percent more likely to outperform financially than those in the bottom quartile.

The above statistics show that having a diverse board can lead to better financial performance.

Diverse boards bring varied perspectives and ideas, which can enhance decision-making, innovation, and understanding of different customer needs. It can translate into improved company performance and a stronger competitive edge.

2. Create Common Goals

Identifying and planning out the common goals is an essential step. A detailed program without any direction will turn out to be ineffective in the long run. It's necessary to make the training compulsory for everyone in the company.

By doing so, employees will gain basic knowledge about various underrepresented groups and develop a curiosity to know more.

Having a common goal is imperative as it ties people in conventional bonds. You must focus on the details and find creative ways to make your staff understand the comprehensive program.

While creating the common goals, ask yourself these questions:

• Are the goals feasible?

• How will you track your progress?

• Who will be responsible for tracking progress?

• What number of resources and time will be invested in the training program?

3. Expand Diversity Definition

Create a training module that explores different dimensions of diversity. Go beyond race and gender to include age, sexual orientation, disability, cultural background, and more.

It broadens understanding and appreciation of the full spectrum of diversity.

For Example: Generational differences can be a significant aspect of diversity. Employees from different generations— Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z —bring unique perspectives and work styles to the table.

4. Get Interactive

How about incorporating case studies, role-playing scenarios, or group discussions.

Interactive elements make training more engaging. It helps participants better understand diverse perspectives. It’s like putting oneself into other’s shoes for once.

For example: A role-playing scenario could involve handling a situation of workplace discrimination. It will allow everyone to experience and address real-life challenges.

5. Use Real-World Examples

Mirror your employees' experiences with relatable scenarios. You can share stories of employees who have faced workplace discrimination. And let them know how they’ve overcome it. You must consider including situations that have occurred within your company.

It’s a wise idea to use real-life examples that your team can relate to. It will make the training more relevant and impactful.

6. Invite Diverse Voices

Partner with external speakers or facilitators from diverse backgrounds. Bring in guest speakers who can share their personal experiences and insights.

You can ask them for tips and strategies to implement proper corporate diversity training programs. Their insights can add depth to the diversity training plan.

How To Do It?
Check-out This Episode of Vantage Influencers Podcast

7. Make it Inclusive

The training programs must target every employee, and that makes inclusion a necessity. It must focus on every issue without hurting or offending anybody’s sentiments.

Talk about diverse communications, aggressions, and unconscious bias. Ensure you align the program with the company’s vision, mission, goals, and objectives.

The training teaches tolerance to employees and the ability to embrace individual differences with an open mindset. When employees begin to value different perspectives, it benefits their interactions with customers, peers, and the community.

If you want an effective diversity training program, you must focus on inclusion because that helps mitigate legal risk.

8. Make It Continuous

You must schedule regular training sessions and adapt them to address current issues. Diversity training shouldn’t be a one-time event. Think of it as an ongoing journey.

Regular sessions help reinforce what’s been learned. And keep everyone up to date with new challenges and opportunities. Such a continuous approach ensures that diversity and inclusion remain at the forefront of your company culture.

9. Track Progress through Surveys or Audits

Regularly conducting surveys or audits can help you gauge the effectiveness of your diversity training plan and identify areas for improvement. These tools provide valuable insights into how well your policies and practices are working. And highlight areas where initiatives are succeeding or need enhancement.

To conduct a successful survey or audit, start by defining clear objectives. Determine what aspects of diversity and inclusion you want to assess. Then, gather relevant data from your workforce through anonymous surveys or structured audits.

Analyze the findings to understand your organization's current state and areas needing improvement. Based on these insights, you must make actionable recommendations.

10. Customize Diversity Training

Customizing diversity training is a significant step to creating an effective program. Every company or industry is different. Thus, making a tailor-made program to suit the company’s needs is the best option.

If you’re thinking about how to customize? Here are a few examples:

• Analyze what the number of diversified people in your company is?

• Do they get moderate treatment, or have they faced discrimination?

• Are there differences amongst coworkers, and how do they deal with them?

• Has the indifference spread across the office, or is it confined to related individuals only?

• Do you see any signs of prejudices or bias from senior officials?

These are some of the instances you can consider while building a diversity training program.

Once you’ve analyzed the data and fixed the objectives and goals, you are ready to design the program as per your company’s needs, history and culture. Your program must leverage data and examples specific to your company.

Objectives of Diversity Training Plan

Before we learn about implementing diversity training in your company, we must know the objectives this training includes. The goal of a diversity training program are as follows:

1. Not to Violate Civil Rights in the Workplace

Diversity training helps employees understand and respect civil rights laws. It ensures everyone is treated fairly and equally.

2. Reinforce Affirmative Defenses

Educating your employees on anti-discrimination policies and procedures through training can helps build a strong defense against potential legal issues.

3. Elevate Employee Tolerance Level

Diversity training is crucial for helping employees develop greater understanding and acceptance of different perspectives and backgrounds. The training promotes empathy, cultural awareness, and open-mindedness, which are essential for a cohesive and tolerant workplace.

4. Promote Workplace Equity

The training plan focuses on creating a fair and balanced work environment where everyone has equal opportunities. The plan can address issues like equal pay and fair promotions.

5. Encourage a Harmonious and Inclusive Work Environment

Diversity training fosters a workplace where all employees feel respected, valued, and included. The training helps build a positive and collaborative work environment, which is essential for employee satisfaction and productivity.

Do Give a Read: Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: A Complete Guide

Conclusion

Some employees learn about diversity and inclusion in business schools, and some don’t get that opportunity. So, this is a chance for you to introduce this training program to your employees for higher employee engagement and improved employee experience.

Live training based on workplace experiences holds more significant value than just reading and learning. This way, employees get a complete understanding of diversity and how a diverse workforce works.

Most people think they are modern, but they fail to accept their casual homophobia, racism, and stereotypes. To eradicate such situations, employees need to attend diversity training.

So, to create a successful diversity training program, follow the 10 steps mentioned above.

FAQ

Q. What is the importance of diversity training in the workplace?

A. Diversity training is important in the workplace because it fosters understanding among coworkers, emphasizes and celebrates cultural, ethnic and gender differences, eliminates unconscious biases, and encourages workers to speak out against discrimination.

Q. How can diversity training help businesses to grow?

A. Diversity training can assist businesses in growing by fostering an inclusive environment where employees feel valued and respected. This helps develop a productive workforce and improves employee engagement while positively impacting the work culture.

Q. What are the three approaches to diversity training?

A. The three approaches include-

• Increasing representational diversity (what we can see and count)

• Fostering interactional diversity (the ability to engage diversity effectively)

• Committing to structural diversity (how an organization or institution enacts this commitment).

This article is written by Sanjeevani Saikia who is a part of the marketing team at Vantage Circle. Sanjeevani loves to split her leisure time between reading and watching TedX. Her curiosity is easily piqued by the most recent developments in Human Resource Management and Organizational Psychology. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com.